A/N I want you all to know that I have completed the story and it will be posted completely eventually. I was so happy, this is the first story I have ever finished. Anyways, thanks for my reviews.

Warroir of Tortall- thank you. I wasn't quite sure about Novellee's name. But I'm gald you like it.

demonicbunny722- I'm truly sorry about the grammer. It's not my strong point.

Angstwolf- she did kill her target.

Mage light- I am very happy that you like it so much. =)

Great Merciful Goddess- the action is about to start.

Chapter eighteen: Denied

They had been gone nearly three weeks when Novellee and Burdock rode into Corus on borrowed horses. It had taken a total of three days bed rest in order for Novellee to be fit to ride, and still they took a chance on leaving.

They had moved slowly on the trek back, hoping to allow the wounds to heal fully and keep them from scarring, but both wounds scarred anyway, leaving clean, red, slightly swelled ridges of scar tissue.

Upon entering the castle, both expected a happy greeting of some kind. What they got wasn't a happy greeting, more a greeting full of threats. Alanna's exact words were. "If either one of you is seriously hurt I will personally skin you alive!"

After that outburst, things had calmed down a little, and Novellee and Burdock had been ushered into the throne room to explain to the king why they were gone so long on a routine kill.

Novellee calmly explained that she had been startled by the appearance of an old acquaintance of hers inside the building. Her mind had been distracted as she entered the targets room and she hadn't seen the signs that he was expecting them. Information had been withheld that he knew anything about knifes or that he was a dual wielder and his attack had surprised her. After taking two hits, she had kiled him. She explained taking to the air and flying to safety.

She finished by saying she had jeopardized the entire mission by being distracted and it was by mere luck she was still alive. She offered him a chance to let her go from his services, but the king had just laughed and given her another mission which she'd gotten to and finished as always.

But she couldn't excuse her mistake. And some how, she couldn't accept that the king could either. No king could excuse an assassin from endangering the safety of one of his knights. She was glad for his courtesy but she didn't expect it to last.

Novellee walked slowly down the corridors to the throne room on the king's command and knew that it hadn't.

There was only one reason she could be headed down this hall, and it was a dismissal. All her missions came from the king, yes, but Burdock gave them to her at the Dog House inn. She hardly ever came into direct contact with the king and she fully expected to be jilted when she meet with him.

She pushed away all thoughts as she knocked on the throne room door. Even the location of the meeting stank of dismissal. The throne room was where the public problems were conducted. If she was being treated like public, it was the end of the contract for her, she knew.

"Enter," she heard the king's voice call and she pushed past the doors into the room. She came to stand before him and more out of habit then spite refused to bow. Not to mention the fact that technically, she was the heir to Serindain throne even if some one else sat upon it.

"Novellee," he greeted as he gave her a cheerful smile. She hated when people tried to mask true intentions with smile and cheer.

"Jon," again, it was habit more then discourtesy that made her use his first name. Besides, over the few months that they had been working together she had come to think of him, not as a friend, but someone she could respect and admire.

He started to launch into useless small talk, but Novellee cut him short, "Let's just get to what I was brought here to talk about."

Jon gave another smile that twinkled in his blue eyes before dropping his eyes to the floor at Novellee's feet. "Alright. I was never one for small talk anyway. I've asked you here to give you a target and to formally invite you to a ball being held two weeks from now."

His words shocked Novellee and her shock must have showed on her face because he hastened to explain. "The man you are to kill is most easily accessed in court. Plus, the Serindain king is coming to court in time for the ball and I thought..."

His worlds trailed away as blood came rushing to her ears and her heart pounded in her throat. For ten horrible seconds he thought he was talking about her father and for the first time in a very long time, she feared. Her nostrils flared and her eyes opened wide.

"Novellee? Novellee!" Jon called. He stepped down from the throne and gripped her shoulders. Her hands clenched and her arms and she looked into his vibrant blue eyes. "What is it?"

Her breath hitched and Jon set her down on the throne, pushing her head between her knees and she calmed down slowly, taking deep breaths. Her common sense kicked in a few moments later and she realized that Jon was talking about Carlyle. Her father was dead and he was never coming back.

Raising her head, she felt her cheeks heat with shame. As she spoke her Serindain accent that was hardly ever noticeable was heavy in her voice. "I'm sorry, my reaction was quite unacceptable. You caught me off guard and my actions were uncalled for and hideous to see. I apologize."

Jon knelt in front of her and rested her hands in his, his eyes looking deep into hers. "Is there a reason why you should react this way?"

"No, no reason. It was just a shock hearing that he was coming here, that's all," she gave him a cheery smile and patted his hand. "So, what's my mission?"

"It wasn't shock I saw on your face and in your eyes. It was panic and pure terror. What is it about him that made you react?"

Looking him dead in the eye she spoke truth. "It has nothing to do with the Serindain king, Carlyle. I told you, your words caught me off guard and shocked me. Can we get on with the explaining of my contract?"

Jon made one more searching look into her infinite gray eyes and sighed. He knew that he would get nothing more out of her. It was hopeless for him to try. He would tell Thayet about it and she would get information from her.

"The man who I want you to kill lives within the castle. He will be attending the ball. You are to charm him into extending an invitation to share his rooms for the night. After the ball do the deed, steal any worthy papers and slip them into my chambers."

"Why are you doing it this way?" Novellee demanded. She knew that it would so much easier if she simply snuck into the castle after dark and killed the man in his sleep. It was a whole lot easier on her. She hated killing people when they were awake. The look in their eyes as she cut their life to and end was chilling and haunted her dreams for days afterwards.

"I want to introduce you to the court not only as a woman who is uprising and is important to the kingdom, but also as a possible knight and a friend to the Serindain king. I expect you to be here four days from now to see to Carlyle who will be arriving around noon. You are to be courteous to him and become his friend. You are to become bosom pals, so they say, so that you can pump him for information later. He came here very unexpectedly and I would like to know why.

"Thayet will help fit you with a dress, so meet her here in the throne room in two days to began getting fitted. So, I shall see you then," he smiled from his crouched position before her and patted her hand.

Smiling herself, she stood and walked away. When the doors closed on her retreating form, her smile dropped. Immediately she began thinking about the upcoming ball.

What if there was a resemblance between them? What if someone recognized that she didn't have the features of a common born Serindain, but had the features of a noble, the features of royalty? If Carlyle brought a whole escort including maids, bodyguards and common people as well as nobles, it would be clear to all that she was not of common heritage.

Her father came from a long line of prestigious breeding. Every match that had ever been made in the royal history had been carefully considered, candidates accepted and rejected so that each child that was born into the family was perfect. It hadn't stopped with her and if it was carefully considered, yes, she was perfect. Her breeding was the best that any one could ever wish for a child.

If Carlyle was of any connection to the royal line, he would be beautiful and he would look like her a little, if not a lot. This meeting between family could only lead to one thing: disaster.

All she could do now, though, was worry, and worry wasn't her thing. So she dismissed it from her mind until these thoughts would be, if not appreciated, more worthy of her attention. Shrugging it off, she went about her daily work of taking care of the finances of the Dog House inn.

$$

Novellee stood with Alanna, George, Numair, Daine, and Burdock in the throne room behind the King's chair. They were the king's eleite council that could be present at the moment. Novellee didn't fancy herself part of the council, simply a fixture that was kin to the arriving younger king, even if the others did.

She was dressed in a light blue gown, her hair pulled back and arranged artfully atop her head. Along her throat was a choker necklace that was the envy of many of the lesser noble women who were congregated with their families along the walls.

Thayet had tried to pierce her ears when they had been fitting her for countless dresses, but she had refused. When she had been fourteen, she had had her belly button pierced. It was the only piercing she would allow herself. The reason she had allowed that piercing was because she needed the trinket to keep her from becoming pregnant, if she ever allowed herself to sleep with a man.

Any other piercing was against her religion, as was the piercing in her belly. She had had the bead in her stomach carved of wood and spelled so that it wouldn't rot. The figure of the bead was in the shape of the Serindain god of fortune, Nekonid.

So Thayet provided her with the necklace and wrist bangles. They jangled every time she moved her arm and after a few minutes of jingling and jangling she had stopped moving her arm entirely. She was not one for pretty things and this only strengthened her resolved.

Nerves fluttered in her stomach as she stood beside theses people who had accepted her as one of them, turning her stomach into a giant knot. Carlyle had arrived at the castle with his entire entourage trailing behind him shortly before dawn. He had spent the hours since then sleeping and preparing to be received by the Tortallan court.

Every one turned their heads to the doors as the creaked open. In walked a laughing stalk to the Serindain name.

Oh, Carlyle had the breeding to be king, but he did not have the class. He was dressed like a common harem master, in exotic silks that cost more then a fleet of ships. His entourage consisted of acrobats and dancers and musicians. He was bent more on flashing his wealth then on being a serious king.

Ciem would never have dared to do something like this, she scoffed. But coldness welled inside her. Ciem was gone and Carlyle was the only suitable person left to rule. If this incompetent baboon could be considered suitable.

For the sake of her appearance, she kept a smile to her lips and a twinkle in her eyes, pretended that the show the Serindain king's people put on was the most amazing and looked genuinely impressed. Inside she curled with disgust. She was ashamed on behave of her people.

Again the coldness welled inside. These were no longer her people and she should not allow herself to care what they thought. She stifled her initial instinct to rule that had been bred into her and turned aside to look at Burdock.

He caught her eye and smiled, her eyes twinkled back at him. She hadn't had much time to spend with him since they had gotten back from their little adventure to the lakeside house.

Her inn had had a surge of business that had left her swamped with paper work. Plus, she had had to replace Polly, who Novellee had banished to her country estate for her punishment. So she had been busy finding and training her replacement, who used to be the temp, to the regular everyday job. Also, she had had to train a temp for when her new regular took her sick leave.

Her attention was drawn back to Carlyle as he stepped before the king to bow. The king introduced each of the present counsel, each stepping forward and bowing to him. When Novellee was called forward addressed as Novellee of Serinda, she came forward and curtsied.

Carlyle, upon closer inspection, faintly resembled her father. He was defiantly of the royal line, but to far distant for them to have meet. But if Carlyle had any schooling in his royal history, he would have recognized her immediately as a descendent of the first king, for she bared his face, her breeding most apparent in her eyes.

When she lifted from her curtsy, Carlyle grabbed her hand and kissed it, speaking flirtatiously to her. She kept up her smile and flirted lightly back, but inside she wanted to hurl. Even though it was common for distant cousins to marry, she could never even consider marriage or any relationship with a man who resembled her father.

"Novellee would like to extend her hospitality in offering to escort you around the palace for the remainder of your stay, or until you decide you no longer need her," Jon extended his hand to incase them together as if they were a couple already.

"I would," she gritted out through clenched teeth. She would like nothing more then to walk away and leave them to their own problems. She did not feel comfortable around him and did not wish to spend any more time with him.

But she smiled and nodded and simpered when he placed her on his right arm, walking her out of the room. She was just glad that she would be able to go home at the end of the day to her inn and be free to do as she pleased.

Until then, she would be the perfect little flirt, to keep him happy and glean information from him subtly a little at a time.

$$

For the ball, Novellee was decked out in a beautiful gown that was the perfect shade of dark pink. It made the angry flush of her cheeks stand out. Her necklace was again a choker and matched her dress, as did the bangles on her wrist and the ring that winked on her finger.

Carlyle had given her the ring and, against her desires, she had worn it. But tonight, she had made it clear that she would not be hanging off of his every word, that she had other obligations to worry about.

Dylan was his name, and he was a very handsome man. The woman of the ball fawned over him and it would be extremely hard for her to single herself out, but she would have to try.

She struck out across the dance floor, her target in her sights, but Carlyle grabbed her arm and swept her into a dance.

"Nova," he said, using the pet name he had given her a week ago, "You look ravishing tonight."

She smiled, as the angry flush grew darker. He seemed to think that it was a blush of pleasure because he pulled her closer to him, grinding his body against hers. She thought she would hurl, but quick thinking had her pulling back.

"It is not proper to dance so close," she scolded him, but he just laughed and pulled her close again his hands roaming to her hips. She slapped them away and broke loose from him, storming away in a huff.

Dylan was already flirting heavily with a woman and if she had any hopes of getting his attention, she had to move now. Swinging through the dancing partners, she bumped heavily into Dylan.

"Oomph," she said as she plopped to the floor. Dylan looked at her once, dismissing her, then taking a second, longer glance. He extended his hand to her and she accepted it with a seductive smile.

"Sorry," she breathed as she gained her feet, leaning into him to 'catch' her balance. "I can be so clumsy sometimes."

Dylan chuckled easily and took control of her hand, subtly showing possession and interest at the same time. "It's alright. I don't mind when beautiful women run into me."

She laughed breathily with him. He wasn't that bad looking. His face was smooth and somewhat tan. He had dark brown hair and icy blue eyes that had an honest expression in them.

"So, would you like to dance?" he asked her. She blushed shyly and batted her lashes as she looked up at him coyly. And just like that she was in. A few dances later he asked her to meet him later in his rooms and she blushingly agreed.

"I have to mingle, so as not to ruin mine or your reputation," he whispered as the third dance they shared ended. But he gave her a swift kiss before heading off. She looked after him longingly, to give anyone the impression that she was infatuated with him.

Going to the refreshment table to get some punch to cool her throat, she considered the next step in her mission. If anyone recalled that she was there with him, that she had accepted his advances, after he was found murdered, they would question her. That would be no problem, of course. The king would never let her be punished. He was the one who had hired her.

With drink in hand, she turned and came face to face with a knight that she hadn't seen in ten years.

He was exactly as she remembered him, his eyes and hair dark in his pale face. She remembered, he had been the one to cut down her brother, and the one to slice open her gut. Hatred rose in her and she lowered her eyes. She didn't want him to see the hate.

She reached for the knife she usually kept at her waist. But she could not reach it without causing suspicion. She could do nothing to this man, as he stood before her, looking at her with the same eyes that had watched her brother die.

She could do nothing. The chance to avenge her family was denied her this night, and it crushed her. She felt the weight on her shoulders bearing down on her as the knight slipped into the crowd and disappeared.

Her chance was lost. She might never see him again and she would never be able to avenge the ones she had lost. A depression so deep that she thought she was drowning filled her.

She had lost her chance, maybe forever. And she couldn't stand to be in this crowded room when she was so close to admitting defeat. She set down her glass with measured movements that belied her quickening heart.

She turned her back on the festive music, the couples dancing, the people gossiping. She couldn't bear to see them, so happy when her world had just shut down.

Walking slowly, as if these slow movements would keep her world from crumbling, she left the ballroom and walked down the halls aimlessly. She was blind and deaf to everything around her. How could her chance have come and gone so quickly?

The window of opportunity had been there for less then ten seconds and she had failed to use it. There was no point in continuing on at all. If she had missed this chance, how could she ever use another one?

A door slamming brought her to awareness. She was in the room that held the chamber. The chamber that had shown her visions that had promised her revenge. Yet she hadn't gotten her revenge. It had lied to her, it had broken their oath.

Rage, rage that she clung to because it easier to feel then despair, welled inside her and she left it seethe through her, filling her limbs and giving her strength.

She clenched her fists tight, and strode for the door, having every intention of hitting it with all her force, but as her fist slammed into the door to the Chamber of Ordeal, all the fight left her and she understood. This was not her chance. This had simply been a glimpse of what would come.

The knight had been shown to her so she would know that they were here and still alive. It had not been meant for her to kill him this night and she hadn't lost her chance. She hadn't failed at all. She had simply been mistaken in the reason for seeing him.

She sighed and stepped away from the chamber door. In the distance a clock chimed and she was surprised to find that almost an hour had passed since she had left the ballroom.

The dancers should be dispersing and the people leaving to go to their beds. It was time for her to find Dylan and take the final measure.

With a bounce to her step, she jauntily strolled down the hallways until she found Dylan's room. He was waiting for her as she entered. She lifted her dress slightly and reached to her calf where a dagger had been strapped.

Pulling it out, she slashed it quickly across Dylan's neck before he even knew what was happening. Then she searched the room.

$$

This time, she had not looked at the papers she had found, an instinct warning her away from it.

She slipped the papers into an envelope before placing them on Jon's throne, between the cushion and the armrest where he had instructed her to place them. Little did she know that inside, the papers contained information that would be the beginning of the mission she had been given within the Chamber of Ordeal.

A/N Okay. Review and tell me what you think about the newest chapter. And I would like you all to know I am currently working on the next story. It's a spin off of this story, so it will have all my characters in it. You should expect it about a week after this story is completely posted.

Nubia